My Food, My Way 33diseases like pellagra and beriberi due to missing nutrients started
appearing, evidence of how digestive systems had assimilated all of the
seed. The government responded by requiring certain nutrients (but
not fiber) be added back in.
So why not return to using the entire seed? Because consumers and
producers alike have grown accustomed to the taste and convenience
of white flour. People prefer its softer texture, how easily it bakes, and
how tastily it pairs with everything from fruit preserves and peanut
butter to lunch meat. Today, grain products made of mostly white flour
make up 22 percent of all calories consumed.
No matter how much bread we eat, the unending challenge is how
to sell more. The latest strategy is to tout the very parts of the seed
that have been largely removed. Fair warning: labels like “multi-grain,”
“made with whole grains,” “contains whole grains,” “made with whole
wheat,” “ 00 % wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “bran wheat,” “ grains,” “ 2
grains,” and “ 2 grains” are all code for “contains white flour.”
Once again, carefully chosen words are crucial to selling more.
In describing flour, “refined” does not mean that impurities are re-
moved but rather that the grain is stripped of fiber and nutrients.
“Enriched” does not mean that the flour has been somehow improved
but rather that some (but not all) nutrients were added back in, though
not necessarily at the original levels. Producers rarely include the
substantive fiber needed to slow the absorption of sugars, aid healthy
digestion, curb weight gain, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Dressing up inexpensive ingredients to appear wholesome and
nutritious is one of the food system’s most tried-and-true strategies.
The only label that ensures that bread contains the entire seed and all
its fiber is, wait for the drum roll, 100 % whole wheat. Alas, even then,
00 percent whole wheat does not preclude the addition of sugars, fats,
and salt.
If ever a statue were to be erected to the modern food system,
the center aisles of today’s supermarket would be the inspiration. This
is the territory of processed food, a place where nutrition is the under-
dog competing against cheap calories for shelf space. Here bounda-